News: Agencies come up with plan to stop flooding on Golf Course Road-25-05-2022
The diversion of rainwater flowing onto the Golf Course Road, deployment of a quick reaction team, and the installation of diesel/generator sets to run water pumps are some of the measures that the Gururgam Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and the developer DLF, which is in also in charge of maintaining this road, plan to undertake during the monsoon to prevent a repeat of the water logging that took place on a stretch of the road on Monday morning due to the intense spell of rain
The diversion of rainwater flowing onto the Golf Course Road, deployment of a quick reaction team, and the installation of diesel/generator sets to run water pumps are some of the measures that the Gururgam Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and the developer DLF, which is in also in charge of maintaining this road, plan to undertake during the monsoon to prevent a repeat of the water logging that took place on a stretch of the road on Monday morning due to the intense spell of rain.
GMDA officials said that they were also trying to identify the reasons for Monday’s water logging because they had already taken adequate steps to divert and hold rainwater in catchment areas of the Aravallis. Last year, the GMDA, in collaboration with TERI and city-based NGO I Am Gurgaon, had taken several steps to divert monsoon water to creeks, ponds and green areas, which had prevented the road, particularly the underpasses, from getting waterlogged during the monsoon.
A senior DLF official, when asked about the matter, said that one of the reasons they identified was that drains along the road got choked with fresh leaves and twigs of trees that broke and fell due to strong and gusty winds. He said another reason was the intensity of the rainfall--around 74mm rainfall was recorded in 2 hours--which flooded one of the underpasses on this road.
To avoid this situation during the upcoming monsoon, the official said it has been decided to deploy a quick reaction team 24x7 for the next three months so that realtime action can be taken on the ground. “We have a large sump but the channels and drains along the road got choked and water could not flow into it. We have installed a DG set to ensure that four pumps deployed for dewatering remain functional,” he said.
The official said that trenches and small water-retaining bodies created in the catchment areas of the Aravallis managed to hold a lot of water this time, but still some of the water spilled over and reached the road. “We will continue with the deployment of both sanitation workers and housekeeping staff on the road and keep the channels and drains clean so that there is no repeat of water logging even if it rains heavily,” he said, adding that 11 interconnected earthen dams have also been constructed in the catchment area of Aravallis on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road to hold rainwater during the monsoon.
Meanwhile, GMDA officials said that they were planning to resolve the issue of water logging by diverting the runoff into another creek.
A GMDA engineer said, “We are planning to ensure that water is regulated in the Aravallis itself. In case the water reaches the road, then we plan to divert it to creek number two along the Wazirabad Bund. This will help channelise the water and prevent water logging,” said Vikram Singh, executive engineer, GMDA, infrastructure 2 division.
Rajesh Bansal, chief engineer, GMDA, infrastructure 2 division, said that the intense rain and thunderstorm on Monday led to the blocking of channels and drains, which caused water logging, but the issue was resolved in a few hours. “DLF has also set up a dedicated team that will work with GMDA officials to prevent water logging on Golf Course Road,” he added.
On August 19, 2020, Golf Course Road was flooded after Gurugram witnessed 99mm rainfall on the day. It took almost 30 hours for civic agencies to clear one of the waterlogged underpasses. Following this incident, civic agencies sought help from TERI, and based on its recommendations, diverted water to creeks, ponds and green areas and also dug a network of trenches to hold water in the hills itself. This idea proved successful during the monsoon of 2021, but on Monday, the road was again waterlogged.
Latika Thukral, who heads the NGO I Am Gurgaon and was involved in the project, said that water from MG Road has been successfully diverted to Sikanderpur pond and green areas. “The trenches and check dams in hills are also doing their work. The water that collected on Golf Course Road on Monday did not come from the hills. The need of the hour is to manage this water locally by diverting it to green belts, ponds and forest areas. If need be, green belts must be built on this road to retain this water,” she said.
